Christmas 2000

Greetings

Happy Holidays to one and all.  We hope this note finds you all healthy, wealthy & wise. 

Dedication

The bird, Tweetie, died. 

Oh yea, the Black Rose (La Crosse) closed.  We will miss the German restaurant.

Family State of Affairs

First, lets start with the sad news. Spot's campaign for the U.S. Presidency has failed to capture a majority of votes in any precinct, much less the majority necessary to win the electoral college.  We had thought our best chances were in Florida, but it is now obvious that Al Gore has been trying to persuade election judges that those votes were the result of voter confusion (despite the fact it was a write-in campaign) and those votes were really intended as votes for Gore.  Out deepest sympathy to Spot, her supporters, and the whole nation that appears to be stuck with either Bush or Gore (assuming this gets sorted out)..

Diana purchased a car (a red 1992 Chevy Lumina) this past summer.  Her head is now spinning with illusions of independence and freedom, and she is beginning to believe KB Toys just isn't paying her enough for her to achieve those American birthrights.  As a high school senior (and hopefully a future graduate), Diana has been applying to colleges and universities seeking out gullible institutions that would gladly accept her and (better yet) provide extensive financial aid to attend their prestigious halls of learning.  So far, she has four acceptances - and one generous scholarship to an expensive private school.  Dad did point out that the public schools were cheaper even without the scholarship - and she says she is taking that under advisement.

Erik is now officially out of elementary school.  He started 7th grade and discovered a whole new world.  He would also like you to know that in January he will be officially a teenager.  The rest of us are not sure if this is his excuse for rebellion or a sign of things yet to come.  Time will tell.

Mark is still with BFGoodrich Aerospace.  He is a manager of a product line as this is written - but is hoping to pass those pesky responsibilities to some other person before Christmas.  Laurel is still with MinnPar managing the office and dispensing the HR activities of hiring, firing & right-sizing their company benefits.  The kids & Laurel are amused by Dad's growing dependence on reading glasses.

The pets are doing pretty good.  As I mentioned before, Tweetie passed onto bird paradise.  Shadow, the cat, has gotten fatter (I suspect the lack of stress from chasing the bird).  Spot is becoming deaf & blind, but at 13 years she can bamboozle the pup.  Xena has the energy of a 18 month old puppy, and drives Spot nuts.  Actually, between Spot's overly protective nature and Xena's bouncy behavior - they are both driving the whole family nuts.  (Jim, is that a clinically correct term?)

Seasonal Humor

Looking Back over the Past Year

Dad & both children went took a trip on the wild side.  We took a pilgrimage to the boundary waters canoeing area in northern Minnesota - to frolic with nature (eagles, loons, mosquitos), test ourselves against the wrath of nature (viewed the aftermath of the fires from last year, wind swept water overflowed our bow, and mosquitoes swarmed us in a parasitic frenzy), and finally to conquer the elusive quest to use one of those pesky internal combustion stove (the fire ban prevented open fires).  Well, to be as brief as Julieus Caesar, "We came. We saw. We conquered."

Then just before school began this fall, the whole family took a road trip to the north shore of Lake Superior.  Walking the boardwalk in Duluth's wharf, Dinner in the Nanabeju Resort north of Lutsen, Luncheon at Sven & Ole's in Grand Marais, and exploring Old Fort William way up in Thunder Bay.  Then we got the idea to go visit Madison.  After all, it is just a little out of the way from Duluth to Minneapolis, but it could be fun.  And it was.  Checked out Mt. Hoard - a cute little Norwegian town with Trolls everywhere.  Not enough time to spend the day at the Wisconsin Dells, but our last night was at a hotel with a water park inside the hotel.  Erik believed we had discovered heaven on earth.

The idea of an Oktoberfest party was resurrected this year.  Friends and neighbors helped celebrate the harvest.  The annual apple pressing continued with about 75 gallons.  As for brewing, this was another year for entering and winning awards.  Even took 1st place for a sparkling honey wine (Mead) at the Minnesota State Fair and got my name in the local paper.
 

Looking Forward to Next Year

The family is hoping to tour the British Isles - including England, Scotland, and Wales. The details are still sketchy (like when, how long, and where to go), but Laurel and Mark are definitely looking forward to the adventure.

Diana is hoping to start college in the fall.  She is currently is thinking of the University of Wisconsin at Madison.  There is a chocolate factory (may I recommend Candinas Chocolatier, LLC.  Very nice Swiss chocolate).  When not sniffing out the finer things in life, she claims to want to study software engineering and english.

Wishing you Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindnessz, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-control; against which there is no law.

The Glewwe Family in Prior Lake
Mark, Laurel, Diana, Erik, Spot, Xena, and Shadow

P.S.  FYI - we are wired.  Our e-mail address is “glewwe@millcomm.com” and our World Wide Web site is “http://homepage2.rconnect.com/glewwe/”.  Diana can be reached at "diana@millcomm.com".  Spot's campaign is "http://homepage2.rconnect.com/glewwe/spot/index.html"  Even this letter (director's cut) can be found on-line.