Merry Christmas 2023 and Happy New Year 2024

I wrote last year that these recent holiday letters (which usually accompanied a photo like the one at right of June and me and our dog Millie getting the Christmas tree at Big Tree Plantation) seem remarkably similar.  Not this year … because the biggest part of life changed when June died in February.  She and I spent 22 holiday seasons together and packed a lot of enjoyment into all of them.  I cherish the memories.  Now, life is different.  Family and friends have been wonderful … my daughter Becky and her husband Joe, my former wife Lynne, June’s children Tracy, Lisa and Scott and their spouses … neighbors in Montgomery Towne where June’s condo and mine were only 50 steps apart … and friends spanning my lifetime and who are in my life for coffees, lunches, happy hours, dinners, long distance calls, and email exchanges.  Not long after June’s death, Millie, now a 13-year-old mini Labradoodle, was found to have a tumor in her nasal cavity.  Anxiety was high awaiting the test result.  The news was unexpected and very good … the tumor was benign.  She had three straight days of radiation treatments to break up the tumor.  After two or three months she regained her sense of smell, an important thing if you are a dog.  Now, she seems fine.  We take a couple one-mile walks every day and that gets me half of my minimum 10,000 daily steps.  Xavier basketball provides entertainment in the winter for a buddy and me.  My work as a board member of the Charles H. Dater Foundation continues to be rewarding; we gave away almost $6 million last year to deserving local nonprofits that benefit young people.  When Covid surfaced three years ago, I began chronicling some memories and good stories to share mostly with my daughter but also with some others.  A goal for next year is to get my lockup-up web site functional so I can share them more easily.  I hope your holidays are happy and I wish you well for the coming year.  Keep in touch …