Christmas 1999
1999 has been a good year for us...easy to take, but no big events. I
still haven't taken any vacation time in the tropics, but I continue to dream of
palm trees and warm breezes. I am going to Las Vegas in early January for
a week, and I plan to travel to the
Grand Canyon and stay for a couple of days,
taking a
helicopter tour while I'm there. Las Vegas is the site of the
Consumer Electronics Show (CES), and you probably know, there is a reason they
are letting me in for free! If ever there was a person into
"gadgets", I'm it.
We took the pets with us in June and drove to the north end of Vancouver
Island for a small vacation. Neither Kirk nor I had traveled this far
"up-Island" before. The scenery was beautiful, but the weather
was the pits! Rain, rain, and more rain. I took my beloved Camry
over the logging roads from Port Hardy to Cape Scott, and Tucker and I hiked the
trail to San Josef Bay and back (an hour each way) in the rain. Sylvester
and Kirk (the sensible pair) stayed in the car and poked around the parking lot
area. We also had a look at Gold River, Strathcona Park, John Hart Dam,
and other sights along the way. We're glad we saw new territory, but
we won't be in a rush to return. Photo
album
Tucker and Sylvester continue to mature...they are both now just over two
years old. They will have a tussle every once in awhile, turning the house
into a three ring circus. The next minute they appear to be perfect
angels. Sylvester stays pretty close to home, but Tucker likes to travel
around and
meet other dogs. His best friend is Woody (a black spaniel -
poodle cross) who lives up the hill from us. His girlfriend is Holly
(another Jack Russell Terrier), who likes her cookies, and can be a bit bossy.
I decided to enhance my Internet presence this year, and run my own web
server. The
JoeTourist website now has its own unique Internet address: http://JoeTourist.net
I'm having fun with this new web server, and I have put it to good use by not
only hosting my personal websites, but also hosting a website for my 30th High
School Reunion (happens in August, 2000 in the Cowichan Valley). It is
great to not bump into the limits which the @Home web hosting service imposed on
me previously.
In August, I decided to really commit to digital photography in a big
way by purchasing a high-end digital camera made by Nikon. The Nikon
Coolpix 950 delivers superb, high definition, high quality digital images.
Prints I have made from some of the 700+ digital photos I have taken this year
appear (to me) to be indistinguishable from machine prints made at a photo
lab. I enlarged one shot to 16" x 20", and it now hangs in the
dining room in a frame. There are lots of examples of my photography on my
website.
Mum and Dad continue to cope with their advancing years pretty well.
Dad voluntarily gave up his driver's licence this year, so Mum is now the only
driver. They only drive short distances within Nanaimo, but appreciate the
mobility the car still gives them. They are not well enough to travel
anymore, but enjoy the occasional visit to Victoria to my place (I pick them up
and take them home).
I finally had enough of my allergy symptoms this past Spring, and went to my
doctor to get some cortisone-based nasal spray. In combination with my
usual antihistamine, the nasal spray virtually eliminated my allergy symptoms,
so now I can live a normal life all year round. Sweet release! Kirk
copes with his chronic medical conditions on a day-to-day basis, and enjoys
taking care of Sylvester and Tucker. Our two pets are
excellent therapy for both of us.
Kirk and I hope you have a wonderful
holiday season...
Here's hoping your "Year
2000" is your best year!
