Yes, we are in London, not Florida, having just returned from a three-week, once-in-a-lifetime trip to South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana. The trip was truly fabulous; and, as words can't describe the experience, we are struggling to tell friends just how wonderful it was. We visited Cape Town and its wine regions and the Cape of Good Hope, travelled the Garden Route along the southern cost of South Africa, visited Johannesburg and Soweto, went on a safari near Kruger National Park, saw Victoria Falls and went on a different safari in the Chobe National Park in Botswana. The animals, the amazing and relatively peaceful evolution of South Africa from apartheid, the difficulties people face in Zimbabwe - these were just so unique and beyond our expectations. Pictures (some 4,000 of them before editing) help, but the best recollections are in our heads and so very hard to verbalize.
Otherwise 2009, was a good year for us. We hosted a family reunion in September with everyone in our immediate family (Mark and Michelle and their children, Elizabeth and Samantha, Sue and Rob and their children, Aidan and Jack, my sister, Barbara, and her husband (and my fraternity brother), Barry Jones, my niece, Kelly, and her husband, Brent Turnbull and their children, Riley and Parker. Since all of the children are 4 and under and the weather was perfect, we went to Storybook Gardens so that the little ones could climb and play. It is a site that is quite familiar to Mark, Sue and Brent (who grew up nearby, in Woodstock) and visited often during their childhood. Seeing their own children enjoying some of the same pleasures was fun for them and for everyone else as well. It was a great time.
Once again, we participated in a Youth Exchange here in London and had the good fortune to host two wonderful young people in our home. Mira, from Denmark, and Daniella, from Germany, were older than previous students and that made for a slightly different exchange (not so much into shopping!) which we enjoyed immensely. This is the fourth time that we have hosted youth from Europe and we still maintain contact with each of these young women.
We both had persistent flu in July and August which seemed to linger forever. But that passed. My corneal transplants are working well and it is a real joy to be able to read once again. Despite a cooler than normal summer, we still enjoyed the colours, flowers and varied landscapes that typify a northern summer. This year we will spend Christmas in Minneapolis and then off to Ottawa. Our four grandchildren are in the prime time for the magic of Christmas, so it will be a special time. Then, we will escape the Canadian winter in early January and head for Florida.
Our Minneapolis contingent is thriving. Our oldest grandchild, Aidan, is now 4 ½. We continue to be astounded with his extensive vocabulary and sharp mind. He is a joy to be with. Jack, his younger brother is an easy-going child who isn’t the slightest bit intimidated by his brother; he tries to act like he is also 4 1/2 and often succeeds. Sue and Rob lead very hectic lives as parents of these two young live wires and as practicing physicians. Sue is in the process of leaving her position at the University of Minnesota to join
the staff at the Children’s Hospital. This will give her more clinical time, which she enjoys. Rob thrives as an intensive care specialist and you can tell that his work is personally very rewarding. While work is work, these two love what they do.
The Ottawa contingent is busy too. Mark continues as a pharmacist at Queensway Carleton Hospital and the Pharmacy Shoppe at Carleton University. He also specializes in immunization advice for travelers. After a year of maternity leave, Michelle has returned to IBM and new challenging responsibilities there. Elizabeth is a sweet little girl. She is 3 years old now and is a wonderful little lady. Daddy (Mark) speaks French to her, so Elizabeth is learning both official languages. She has a killer smile… she’ll be a heartbreaker some day. Samantha, who is 14 months old is walking and showing her own unique personality. She is beginning to talk now. What a joy they are!
We both enjoy retirement although I sometimes miss the challenges of work. I volunteer in a number of capacities at Museum London, run the websites at our condo corporation in London and in Florida. I also chair the landscape committee at our condo corporation in London. I have also been taking cooking classes (much to Sara's delight). Sara keeps threatening that I should take over the cooking for company, but I decline in the interest of keeping our friends!
Sara has so much on the go that she runs out of time to do all she wants to do. Sara has lots of projects on the go (knitting for our grandchildren in particular) and she is now into card making in a big way. She has become quite a photographer (now on her fourth digital camera) and enjoys photo-editing. She is in the midst of a project to scan and restore all of our family photos. The early photos of Mark and Sue were taken with a Polaroid camera and are already fading. Scanning the pictures into the computer is taking a large amount of time, but will be worth it in the end.
Naturally, we travel to see our grandchildren (and our children!) as often as possible. This year, we are looking forward to more golf, lots of other activities and meeting new friends in the community where we live.
Our beloved Shelties, Dylan and Bristol, still give us much pleasure; Dylan, now 12 years old, still enjoys life and all its sniffs, despite his arthritis. You couldn't ask for a more loyal and loving companion. Bristol is a little minx… and a stomach on four legs. We think that she keeps Dylan young!
For pictures from our Africa trip and more pictures of our family, I have created several web pages at http://www.fgkearney.ca/christmas.html - just follow the link labeled photos at the bottom of the page.
Have a wonderful holiday with family and friends.
Sara and Frank
Ontario address Unit 51, 1040 Riverside Drive, London, Ontario N6H 5N4 (519) 471-6154
Florida address 28854 Vermillion Lane Bonita Springs, Florida 34135 (239) 495-1615
Mobile Sara's mobile in Canada (519) 902-6154, Sara's mobile in Florida (239) 331-0165, Frank's mobile in both locations (519) 870-9895,
E-mail Sara's e-mail: fgkearney@hotmail.com Frank's e-mail: frank@fgkearney.ca
Frank's work website www.fgkearney.ca
Check out the photo gallery for our African trip. You can also check out our our children and grandchildren's photos. If you have the time, also check out Sara's Africa diary