Summer's End

Dear George,

Just as regular as clockwork, another summer is winding down.  Our family highlight this year was a four-day visit from our son J and grandson L who flew up from New Orleans in late July.  L had grown several inches since last Thanksgiving, and he was bright, funny, and enjoyable.  We did the zoo, Smale Park, Graeter’s, the movies, Skyline Chili, the Taft Museum, Ludlow Avenue, and a host of other spots.  We’re eager for our next get-together, hopefully in NOLA. 

Also in July I flew up to my 60th high school reunion in Menominee.  I’ve known many of my classmates since 1950, so there was lots of reunion-ing to be done.  I stayed with long-time friends, enjoyed the reunion events, had lunch with my cousins Ann and John, visited my favorite hometown spots, checked out my sister’s property on the river, and took a bunch of photos.  Our class all voted to come back for Number 65.  

It’s been a high tech summer.  Katja bought me a new Mac PC for my birthday as well as an iPad for herself, and I spend many waking moments online.  When J came to visit, he helped me activate the FitBit exercise monitor that Katja had gotten me at Xmas.  I’m definitely a quantoid person, and I like keeping track of my daily steps and sleep efficiency.  

Summer 2015 was marred by a sad and painful happening — the loss of our beloved sheepdog Duffy to bone cancer.  Duffy has been a major life companion for me — hikes in the forest, long walks in the neighborhood, camping trips to area parks.  He was a loving, loyal dog — funny, affectionate, and full of life — and we continue to miss him every day. 

Katja and I celebrated our 55th wedding anniversary at the end of August.  We had an excellent dinner at the Phoenix, one of Cincinnati’s finest restaurants.  55 is a special number.  If you add up all the numbers from 1 to 10, the total is 55.  Then if you square the numbers from 1 to 5 and add them up, the total again is 55.  I don’t think there are any other consecutive numbers that do that.  I think it means we’re in for a unique and mysterious year.   

There were many other enjoyable aspects of Summer 2015: the summer opera season, dog hikes at Miami Whitewater Forest and Eden Park, Ray Donovan, neighborhood walks with friends, line dancing, Wimbledon and US Open tennis (and Roger Federer in person at the W&S Open), Friday night movies, flea market expeditions, my birthday dinner at Seasons 52, working out at the fitness center, art museums, our new Clifton library.  All in all, a summer of pleasures and treats. 

Love,

Dave