FEBRUARY!!!!! If you allready read the first stuff there is more down below!!!
WINTER STORM WARNING!!!!Yah hoo! I just got your email but it's night now. Tor and I are extremely excited for snow. They expect 6 inches! We are off to Sydney's place - Tor, Peter and I that is. Melanie has not had her baby yet. I say - just wait for the snow when it's the most difficult for Patricia and I to get there! We are all healthy!
A new and exciting thing?? If everything works out Peter plans to buy that 29ft. Aspara built in 1973. We hauled it out and had it inspected yesterday. I was saying to Peter just before we motered into West Bay that it would be fun to get hauled up with the boat. Tor agreed of course - and Peter's response? Maybe you guys can do that! Well he had no choice the guy was ready for us to slide into the slip and lift up. The lift manager asked Peter where the shaft was located on the bottom. Being the captian of the boat he didn't want to say I don't know. So he said - It's not my boat. In fact he said it twice. The second time in a slight panic. The lift manager said, "oh.. don't worry now, we will figure it out". Tor and I giggled while we poked around in the engine area and they were able to lift it out. It was fun. So dam cold! It rained ice pellets the whole time. The boat had a good review with no hull seperation. Peter and I motered it back afterward he was glowing.
Tor has been eating alot of fish near 1lb a day on top of his regular food. I was a perticularly hard winter for him and he is just recovering. Ah my sweet Tor - I want him strong.
Patricia has a date tonight with a guy that works at that big video rental place near value village. She likes him and left a note on his car. More later Peter just showed up loves!
I'll write again soon! Love Melissa
O.K. It's the sixth of February and so much has happened! It did snow
for 3 days!!! Thank goodness it started to melt of the roads when the telephone
call came in the morning! First off
IT'S A BOY! If you are hearing it here first - everything went as planned!
It was a tough labor 14 hours but a the little boy Elijah Benjamin .....
(actually it's not forsure what his name is going to be) dicided to pop
out at 10:30 pm on Jan. 12th. I took some good pictures of the whole birth
process Mel should be very happy. Patricia and I had a great time - though
she was completely stuned torward the end!
Nix on the video guy and Patricia. That time has come and gone. We had a really great dinner party last night groovy people and great conversation. Tor is preparing to apply to the Pacific Northwest Arts Fair. Mark has offered up his garage to Tor since he didn't plan of using it! Tor is so psyched! We have been moving stuff from Eva and Brent's place to Marks. Tor is under a crunch for time to enter the fair since he was sick this winter. But the excitment it there!
Peter is just a few papers away from owning Aspara we are allready planning the chrisening party. Maybe we'll even break a bottle of Blackberry Wine over the bow!
I have a letter to type to you from Michael at Radiance!
It's a long one if you have the option to print you might want to. Here I go......
Greetings Jen and Lee!
Despite the lack of effort I have put into corresponding with you, you have been close to my heart and my blessings are always with you. I envy your great adventure! I am still hoping to be a part of your adventure at some point, so I would like to propose a tentative itinerary to be revised around your schedule. I will remain fairly flexible. I had planned another trip to India this Winter for a brief six weeks to attend an important Hindu festival in Hardiwar, a holy town in the North at the foot of the mighty Himalayas. Unfortunately, my Mother will be under going heart surgery at the end of February, so I have had to cancel. It actually works out for the best as I was rather impulsive this time, not really knowing where the funds would come from. Which brings me to this upcoming Fall. I would still like to plan another trip to India where I am hoping we can hook up. It doesn't have to be in India however. We could meet in Nepal or where ever you think you are going to be, or would like to be. It is possible that I may be in Tibet toward the end of Summer, so I may be over there before you had planned. I wan thinking about trekking for awhile in Nepal, and/or North India. Since this last trip that I had to cancel, my interest in the Himalayas has been peaked (no pun intended) and would like to acquaint myself with the region.
There are various places that are very sacred I would like to visit as part of my on going research and interest in the Hindu and Buddhist religion. October is an optimum time to explore the Himalayas as it is after the monsoon and before the snow. July is a good time too, as alll the flowers are in bloom, and of course its alot warmer. I am researching the area right now, and will have a more concrete itinerary in mind as the date gets closer, and when I know more about your own schedule and intentions. Depending on how much money I have saved will determine how long I can stay. I will be paying on my student loan as well as my credit card (which happens to be maxed right now) while travelling, so I will need to have money set aside for that as well. Money, Money, Money!!!!!!! What a royal pain in the ass!!!!! It would be fun to do the North and then drop down to the South, maybe even as far as Sri Lanka, depending on the political stability. I think that's an oximoron, so what I mean is that if there aren't any bombs going off, or terrorist raids, Sri Lanka would be and interesting place to visit. Be thinking about what you two are interested in doing as I am open to most anything. I'm just anxious to spend time with you and hear all about your travels! Everything is fine on the home front. Lots of rain right now, but it seems to be warm for February. Spring is near, however I have no idea if the groundhog saw his shadow or not this year. Radiance is the same, neurotic as ever. I can't believe how involved every little thing has to be, and how long it takes to process stuff. We're still in the process of hiring a staff support person. Roseanne is interested in the position. So I say hire her and lets move on! Wish you were here Jen? Actually I do. Your presence is greatly missed, but I'm glad you are both able to be where you are and have such a fantastic opurtunity to travel together. NEWSFLASH!!!! My travel agent just called and said I can change my ticket and keep the same price without having to cancel it all together so I won't lose any money. But I need to change it before my scheduled departure date which was intended for Feb. 14th. So by the time you receive this letter I will have already set my arrival date. We will have to plan around you schedule, and you can let me know when and where to meet. My travel agent must be psychic or something. Anyhow, Melissa is being kind by putting this all into her I-Mail for me, so I am going to stop giving her stuff to type in and sign off. Please get in touch when convenient, and I will be more consistent in corresponding with you as well. I miss you both, and remember you are always being thought of! Be safe!
Love and blessings,
Michael
P.S. Feb. 6th update - I am NOT going to Tibet, and am changing my ticket today to arrive in India sometime in October. I will keep you posted, as you can do likewise. I hope you can get the money to keep travelling!
I'll write soon loves! Melissa