Another year has flown by!




We started the year skiing. It was a bit of an adventure, skiing on ice around patches of rocks, but that kept the crowds away and we had fun.









 



Since it was icy, the sled hill was super-fast. There's no sound quite like the scream of an 8-yr-old girl, flying down a hill on a sled.

For the daddy-daughter dance in the Spring, Katelyn wore a flowy dress that flared well when she "twirled", high-heel shoes, and she had her ears pierced. She's growing up so fast!

John got no new clothes and decided against any piercings.

 

Colorado in the summer was fantastic, as always.

Since Katelyn wanted to camp for an extra night, we hiked up to the bowl leading to Mt. Columbia's peak...

... and, of course, every flat-topped rock provided opportunities to strike yoga poses

On the way home, we took a "short" detour to drive up to Pike's Peak. That 4-hour detour(!) had fabulous views - although it was freezing up there!

The next day, we stopped at Caprock Canyons State Park near Amarillo. We asked the ranger why there were virtually no other people in the park, and she said that the rocks reflect the heat "like a convection oven" and it was about 120 degrees in the park (at 10:00am!)

After a rather toasty hike, the lake on the way out of the park was irresistible for a quick dip.

Katelyn turned 9 in October.

She enjoys the "usual" ninja warrior activities, as well as her newest set of wheels...

We combined my Stanford reunion (too many years to be possible) with a long weekend in San Francisco. It was great to spend some time with old friends. 

And we did the touristy things that I never did when I lived there: the Golden Gate Bridge, the Exploratorium, riding cable cars, Lombard street,  etc.

The highlight of the year was a trip to Belize over Winter break.

We took a river boat to the Mayan ruins at Lamanai. 

The next day, we headed out to Long Caye, a 14-acre island 35 miles off the coast of southern Belize. Getting to the island involved a 3 hour ride on a 42' boat.

After a while, Katelyn said her cheeks hurt from smiling so much.

For the first 2 hours, we headed south, and the ride was fantastic -  a windy, bouncy ride on a boat under endless blues skies on beautiful blue water, between the mainland and a string of islands. 

Then we turned east and were out in the open ocean in 25 mph winds and 6-8' seas. (We later heard that they almost cancelled the boat that day because of high winds.)

A long hour later, we approached the island.

The facilities were essentially camping ... Huts with beds; a small solar system to generate (some) power; rainwater collection for drinking and showers.

With only 26 guests on the island - a really great group of people - it was an uncrowded, off-the-grid paradise.

We enjoyed "hammock surfing" on the deck of our hut.

We kayaked out to various spots to snorkel at amazing reefs. At one spot, a nurse shark cruised by, ignoring our intrusion. 

On a night snorkel, John saw a translucent squid.

Katelyn loved kayak surfing with one of the guides. When they were tossed out of the kayak under a wave, he was worried about her, but as they surfaced, he heard her laughing and squealing to go again.

John spent a lot of time kite surfing. And we kayaked, snorkeled, swam, stand-up paddleboarded, windsurfed, hunted jelly fish, built an elaborate sand castle city (including coconut shell swimming pools), and gazed at unbelievable stars.

 




Katelyn learned to play beach volleyball, and wasn't at all intimidated about playing with people twice her size. At home, she's now bouncing a variety of balls off her wrists against the walls.













Hermit crabs significantly outnumber people on the island.... The hermit crab races were a big event after dinner one night.

 

Katelyn's declared the trip "better than a Disney cruise." From her, there's no higher praise...


What a perfect beginning for 2019!








We wish you health, joy and adventures "better than a Disney cruise" in 2019.

Love,
Donna, John and Katelyn