Christmas 1998

This year my life seems to have become somewhat more quiet. No great vacations this year - but Kirk and I did visit Long Beach on the west coast of Vancouver Island in the Spring. We were prepared for the worst - rain and wind - and instead experienced unseasonably good weather - bright sun and calm seas. We took the pets with us (a first), and stayed in a Bed and Breakfast near Chesterman's Beach. I'm still a sucker for sunsets, as you can see by the photo. We plan to make another visit to Long Beach during the Christmas holidays, since I am on vacation from Dec 10 through Jan 3.

For those of you who don't have access to the Internet, and who didn't browse my online version of last year's newsletter, you may be somewhat surprised to learn that we had to rename our cat to Sylvester. We found out when we took Sylvie in to be neutered that "she" was actually a male! Thank goodness there were no surprises when we took Tucker in to be neutered later on...he's still a male!

Both Tucker and Sylvester have matured over the last year. Both are now just a few months over a year old. Growing up together has been good for both of them. Initially, we were concerned that Tucker would be too rough when playing with Sylvester, since Jack Russell Terriers have a reputation for being quite aggressive. It turns out Tucker is pretty well behaved...only forgetting to play nice with Sylvester once in awhile. When things get a bit too rough for Sylvester, he has his cat tree to retreat to. Of course, Sylvester has figured out what buttons to push, in order to drive Tucker crazy, just like most cats do with dogs.

Both Sylvester and Tucker like to get outside several times each day. Sylvester is on a 50' leash, so he has lots of things to get into while roaming around the front yard. Tucker gets three good walks a day, so both Kirk and I know every crack in every sidewalk in the neighbourhood, not to mention where every cat and dog lives! A side benefit is that we both get lots of exercise.

For those of you who care, I changed my Internet Service Provider ( ISP) in November. Shaw@Home made me an offer this techno-dweeb just couldn't refuse. Faster access speed, always connected to the 'net, more space for my JoeTourist website, and at about the same cost as I was paying for my second telephone line plus monthly fees from my previous ISP. I have taken advantage of my new-found freedom from hourly charges by using the Internet much more. Lots of fun!

Email: joecarr@home.com

Web page: members.home.net/joecarr

After watching the market for several years, I finally broke down and purchased a digital camera. I already had a slide/transparency scanner, which I have been using with great success over the last few years, but there isn't a substitute for the immediacy a digital camera offers. This one uses a little Compact Flash storage card, which holds several hundred photos, which I can then copy directly onto my desktop computer and take it from there. I either use my colour printer to make prints, or more commonly, have an online photo album for browsing using my computer monitor. I will be adding more photos to my website in the near future. More fun!

Mum and Dad are doing about as well as can be expected, considering Mum is now 86, and Dad will celebrate his 89^th birthday in January. They have not felt up to traveling to Reno this year, but they have dropped into the new casino in Nanaimo and pulled a few handles on the one-armed bandits. They continue to get Meals-on-Wheels on four weekdays, and they go out to restaurants on the weekend. I think they find the convenience of not having to prepare meals a welcome relief.

Kirk and I hope you have a terrific holiday season, and all the best to everyone for the new year.