Flagship neighbors gathered for a fun pool party.
Now that our seasonal neighbors are trickling in, our pool party happy hour is back! We had a great gathering for Diane Teeter’s birthday on October 8. It was so fun to catch up with everyone. It still amazes me how many people return all at once.
Let the Fun Begin
Bill and Pat Reid (4608) celebrated their 68th anniversary on a Caribbean cruise in August. They have been enjoying cruises since 1995 and boast approximately 360 cruises between then and now! When asked what it was like when they first met, they laughed about how they used to make out in their car in Chandler Park (Detroit) until the cops kicked them out.
It is with heavy hearts that we learned of Bryce Christensen’s (4612) passing in May. His wife Lanna had a celebration of life at her campground in Spearfish, South Dakota, over Labor Day weekend with approximately 150 people in attendance, including several of us who own in The Landings. Bryce was a pillar in the Spearfish community, and the stories told were a true testament to a great man.
It’s never too late to add a new companion to our lives, and Carol Watson (4616) added a new family member, a cat named Velvet, a four-month-old Russian Blue, to her happy home. When you have a chance to pet Velvet, you will understand why she was given that name!
Many of us live vicariously through our neighbors’ international travels, hoping to envision the beauty and history of the world around us. We had a few families who traveled abroad, and their stories will surely give you the travel itch.
Alexander and Magda Irigoyen (4600) were island hopping in Greece during May, then they reunited in Athens with friends, and later drove the west of France, visiting medieval architectural masterpieces, many times unknown by tourists. Highlights were Santorini and Paros beaches, which they toured renting ATVs, then Carcassonne, Mont Saint Michel, the chateaux on the Loire River, and ended in Paris. Recently they were on a Caribbean cruise again, and plan to go back to Argentina before the end of the year. Their last visit there was in March 2020, when they had to leave two days after arriving, due to Covid and Argentina going into lockdown.
Brad Davidson and Becky Ross (4604) had some awesome adventures over the summer. In May and June, they traveled to Athens, the island of Crete, Northern Greece, Albania and North Macedonia. They did something they never have done before – paraglided over beautiful Lake Ohrid in North Macedonia. Their desire to visit Meteora is what got this Greece trip started. Twenty-four Eastern Orthodox monasteries were built there on giant natural pillars in the 14th century. They also visited a cave where evidence of a Neanderthal base camp dating back more than 50,000 years ago was discovered.
Anne and Jim Murray (4604) traveled to Dublin, Belfast, and the northwest counties of Ireland in July and August. Highlights of their adventure, other than the scenery of the Emerald Isle, included a ride in a Black cab which was driven by a Belfast resident who witnessed the violence of the Irish Civil War in the 1970s between the Catholics (IRA), Protestants, and British Army. Of special interest was a group conversation with three men who fought on opposing sides.
September found them in the Baltic capital cities of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland. The preservation of the medieval old towns of Vilnius, Riga, and Tallinn were charming with their cobbled streets and ancient walls surrounded by modern, high-tech cities. All three countries have made remarkable economic progress since their independence in the early 1990s from oppressive Soviet domination beginning immediately after World War II. Understandably, all four countries fear an invasion by Russia and are hopeful that NATO (including a strong U.S. presence) will protect them.
As we prepare for the holiday season, let’s remember that life is a gift that should be cherished and appreciated. It is important to make the most of every day and live life to the fullest!
