Greetings from the Bayou.  This year Susan and I will begin a tradition of sending holiday news letters.  You remember those don’t you?  Letters are what we used to use before the internet.  You write words on a piece of paper, put the paper in an envelope, put a stamp on the envelope and mail same.  Ah well, time does pass us by.

Let’s bring you up to date.  First my children: Casey is in the Army, stationed in Germany and looking forward to being deployed somewhere in the early spring of next year.  Needless to say I am not as enthusiastic as he is about the forthcoming deployment.  Chelsea has moved back to San Diego with her family where she is working and raising my first grandchild…Samaya, aka Sammie.  Christine will graduate (thank god) from San Diego State in May of 2007 and will find gainful employment…hopefully. 

     Our lives are beginning to show some signs of normalcy.  We are living in the bayou house even though we have not completely unpacked or received the blessing of the local government with the appropriate certificate of occupancy permit.  The office building is occupied, my boat is in the water, the fish are biting and all is well.

            Susan and I are taking to the open road again in January.  We will be going to California to spend some time with my daughters and granddaughter, camping along the way.  When I get back in February I will begin my new career as a substitute teacher in earnest.  Yes, I am back in the work force.  As my daughter Christine pointed out so succinctly, where else can I get paid for sitting on my duff and watching kids study?  I thank god every night for two things, first that I have children and second that I will never have any more. Our plans for 2007 include continuing to settle into the bayou, traveling as much as is humanly possible and getting the heck out of here during the summer months.

            As Bob has already stated we are living in the house that has been completely redone since the storm.  Spending my first three months here in the 21 foot travel trailer makes the 732 square foot house seem spacious.  Having spent more than 150 consecutive days together in these small spaces has proven that we are indeed compatible and it is likely that we will live happily ever after where ever we may roam.

            My 11 year old dog Katy was extremely anxious during our last weeks in New Jersey.  I am happy to say that she has a new leash on life, spending time wandering the neighborhood and accompanying Bob on short trips around town.

            In between getting our house finished, working on the house that Bob bought in Bay Saint Louis and our fall trip to Alliance College and other points in the north, I have managed to visit New Jersey every five or six weeks, including the emergency Labor Day trip to assist my daughter Kassia after she broke her foot.  It has been good to see my granddaughters so often, especially Katherine who is just nine months old.  Her older sister, Eleanor is six and we stay in touch by phone and an occasional letter.  During our visit to Trenton in the fall we parked the trailer on the street in front of the house, hooked up a hose and extension cord, creating a curious sight on the city street.  Eleanor was right at home in the trailer, everything was just her size.

            I am looking forward to our trip west next month.  One of the things that convinced me to quit my job, sell my house and move to Mississippi was the opportunity to go places that I had never been and thought that I would never get the chance to see.  We plan to stop in Arizona and New Mexico to enjoy the desert in the winter and we will spend at least a week in San Diego visiting with Chelsea, Christine and Sammy.

            If you want to find out what we are up to check out Bob’s blog – bayoubob.net - for current information on life in Mississippi and our travels around the country.

            We wish all of you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.