Greetings from Carolyn and Rick
December 2023
Hello from Northeast Ohio! Happy holidays! Over the past few months we've been adjusting to not working -- no work weeks, no "weekends," lots of free time, and new routines. It feels weird! But we're doing our best to create new routines and spend time doing things that make us happy (plus things that need to be done, which often bring their own sense of satisfaction). Here are some highlights.
Spending time with friends and family (including kitties!) is a huge benefit of being back in Ohio and retired. We visit more family more often than ever, including trips to New Albany OH to see Erin, Adiya, Wynn, and Lola, all of whom are very active at work, school, sports, band, and representing their company at the NASDAQ opening bell 😊 Carolyn gets to spend most Fridays at Amanda and Tony’s home, minding our adorable and inquisitive great-niece Hanna. We traveled to see niece Ashlyn during her first semester at Bowling Green State University. We got to meet baby Eva at lunch with her parents, our nephew Brian and his wife Megan, along with their other cool kids, Anthony, Heidi, and Clara. And we’ve had many wonderful times with Carolyn’s sister Sue with the promise of more to come. Pictured are Wynn and Lola: Sue, brother Bill, and Carolyn; and Adiya.
Our proximity to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and the Summit County Metroparks offers many opportunities to enjoy the natural world around us. This fall we completed the Metroparks hiking spree by doing 8 hikes, volunteered with CVNP on a project to inventory park signs, and spent countless hours on park trails spotting wildlife like the beaver, great blue heron, and Eastern screech owl in the photos below. Rick even spotted a bald eagle flying near our home!
We've been able to take advantage of the great number of performance venues and variety of artists that come to the Akron area. Since September we seen a lot!
- Brit Floyd, one of the very best Pink Floyd tribute bands, at the Akron Civic Theater
- Mighty Poplar, a band of bluegrass veterans, at the Kent Stage
- The one and only Kristin Chenoweth at EJ Thomas Hall
- Steve Earle, acclaimed country, rock and folk singer-songwriter, at the Kent Stage
- Actor Nick Offerman in conversation at Akron Civic Theater, celebrating the 150th birthday of the Akron Summit County Public Library
- Motown Christmas, showcasing so many stars and hits, at the Goodyear Theater in Akron
- Summit County Chorus’s Christmas Candlelight Concert at the historic St. Bernard Church in Akron. When the pipe organ thunders in during O Come All Ye Faithful – shivers!
We continue with projects around the house. Most recently we finished removing the old patio that extended over the slope behind our house. The concrete pad was broken up and removed in September. After a lot of back and forth with contractors we decided to take out the railroad ties that were holding up the dirt under the patio. This was a major job given the slope of the hillside. Once again Colt's Excavating did the work, removing the railroad ties and regrading the slope. There is now a gravel ramp from the back of the garage to the basement walkout patio. For now, we've returned the hillside to its (mostly) original state. Next year we'll figure out what to plant to stabilize it and make it attractive for the local birds and insects.
As 2023 draws to a close we are immensely grateful for everything we have, our dear friends and family, wonderful neighbors, many opportunities to grow and enjoy our time in this "third age," and each other. We wish for you health and happiness.
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