Dear Family and Friends,

It’s hard to believe that another year has come and gone. 2004 has been a full year.

The most time consuming and rewarding activity of ’04 has been finishing the “house project”.  There was no better Christmas present than receiving a “Certificate of Occupancy” from the county.  With electricity and gas service, we can now finish our home in warmth and with light. The end of the year vacation allowed us to do some tasks on the house such as painting, installing trim, etc.  Carpet is ordered and we are near to moving into it.  Projected move in date is a couple of months.  (a long yet rewarding journey)

Though working on the house was a major priority for the year, it has never gotten in the way of recreation.  A major vacation was to the idyllic tropical island of Moorea in Tahiti.  Yes we answered the call of the South Seas.  A nice vacation was had both on land in a wonderful resort, the Moorea Pearl Resort, and in the water.   In the clear, warm seas of the surrounding lagoons  we enjoyed swimming and snorkeling, and Bob did some diving with his homemade oxygen rebreather.    Other trips took us up to see friends Ron and Thea in northern California; once for Ron’s birthday and one time just to do some more Abalone diving. (Mmmmmm good)

Other trips up the coast brought us to Jade Cove where we did a little light camping and went scuba diving for Jade.  On one of those Jade Cove weekends we visited the Hearst Castle and took a couple of tours.  (Hearst Castle is a must see attraction…, complete with wild Zebras.)
We also visited Jane’s Mom and Dad in Arizona over the Thanksgiving holiday, and stopped by to see our friend Ben in Quartzite.

As you know a lot of our entertainment involves water/diving activities.  We did manage to do some beach diving and a little boating.  “Little” boating, that is, in the sense that we used our dinghy for some dives on the breakwater.  No lobster was taken this year, but delicious Abalone and Rock Scallops were enjoyed.   We also had some fun with the surf boards, especially when Bob got up on the surfboard for the first time.  The Big Kahaunna is born.
Bob swam in the La Jolla Rough Water Swim in September.  This year he was honoring the passing of Jim Eubanks, a very nice guy, lifeguard and operative swimmer in the maritime unit of the OSS in WWII, a forerunner of the Navy Seals.  (By the way, Jim who has 35 years over Bob would always finish the ocean mile about ten to twenty minutes faster.)

Since our entertainment cannot always be wet, and Jane does have some nice gowns, a number of formal events were enjoyed.  We went to the Los Angeles Athletic Club for both the Underwater Instructors Association Graduation Banquet and again for their 50th Gala Reunion.   We also attended the Historical Diving Society symposium and banquet, and Bob’s Adventurers Club “Night of High Adventure”.  At the Night of High Adventure Jane looked stunning in a red beaded formal, but was just a little outdone by the formal Prince Charlie Kilt that Bob was sporting, complements of one of his patients.
 

This year also saw Jane produce more quilts and a Christmas Tree Skirt that was sold before she completed it.  Bob’s friend Erick also presented us with the final edit of a short experimental film starring Bob as the “Drip Dry Gentleman Spy” (soon to be shown on a screen near you).  Three of our neighbors left the mountain and moved to Florida.  Jane joined a road trip to help Celeste move to the Sunshine State.  This move was just a week or so before the Hurricanes hit the state; a dramatic welcome to Florida for friends Celeste and John.  Back in California we enjoyed some performances of the Redlands Bowl, the LifeHouse Theater, and the performance of Plaid Tidings at the Pasadena Civic Center.  (Now we must go see Forever Plaid.)   And the last activities of the year, or actually the first events of the new year, were the Polar Bear Swim at Cabrillo Beach and a viewing of the amazing Body World exhibit at the Los Angeles Science Center.

Hope all is well and wising you a Happy 2005.

Smile,
Jane and Bob

P.S. Current News Flash:  Crestline received approximately 35 inches of rain in the last storm sequence!  We are OK, but have been trapped on the mountain for the last two days, as all mountain roads have been closed due to mud slides and storm damage.  We just found out that we (and our fellow captives) will be allowed off the mountain, with escort, between 5:00 and 7:00 this evening, and between 5:00 and 7:00 tomorrow morning. Hallelujah!