From Bob and Erika Jensen’s Retirement Cottage

 

More pictures --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/NHcottage/NHcottage.htm

 

I will be teaching at Trinity University until May 2006.  However, because I am on academic leave it is possible for me to be in our retirement cottage with Erika from May 2003 until January 2004.  The very old cottage and the barn needed a lot of repair work and money, but we truly love this place.  This semester was a bit lonely, although I did manage to join Erika once each month.  We got to walk in a blizzard during the Thanksgiving holiday, and I mean it was blowing a gale.  The winds have been up to 60 mph on some days down where we live and well in excess of 100 mph on top of the mountains we view from our house --- http://www.mountwashington.org/cam/index.php

 

Dick, Cec, and Jack visited for part of a day in July.  Lisl, Chuck, Hilary, and CJ spent a few delightful days in August.  We had time to walk up the flume in Franconia Notch, play in Whale of a Tale Water Park, and take in the rides and shows at Santa’s Village. 

 

Last Christmas we were in Yuba City with Mike, Rene, David, Cindy, and seven of our grandchildren.  This year Cindy added one more to the California clan.  Mike finished his degree in accounting, and David is starting part time toward a degree.  In Wisconsin, Maria has been finishing up her program while working in a mental health center.  This Christmas we will be with Lisl, Chuck, Hilary, CJ, and Marshall in Old Town, Maine.  We plan to drive across the mountains and are hoping for clear roads and reasonable winds.

 

Erika will return with me to San Antonio for a few weeks in January.  However, knowing her as I do, she will be anxious to return to her cottage in the mountains where all of her unfinished projects wait.  She truly has become a mountain momma.  However, she is also looking forward to being with her dearest and closest friends in San Antonio during her January visit.

 

Moving proved to be an enormous ordeal, in part, because Erika hates to part with her treasures.  Our 54 foot Mayflower van could not get over the hill in our lane.  Hence, the entire truck had to be downloaded one load at a time into a pickup truck that ferried the boxes between the big truck on the road and our cottage.  Hundreds of boxes were scattered in the upstairs, main floor, basement, art studio, and barn.  Erika spent most of the summer opening boxes and sorting out her treasures.  Bob spent most of the summer building shelves to hold her treasures.  He also spent quite a few days clearing small trees out from under big trees in the woods.  A new chipper helped a great deal in this effort.

 

Erika started redecorations with the dining room.  She put in a labor of love painting and trimming.  A few days after she completed the room to her satisfaction in November, an enormous rain storm accompanied by 60 mph winds leaked into her new dining room and completely destroyed the ceiling.  That was a said day, but she brushed it off by saying that far worse things could have happened in our lives.  This is all repairable.

 

Bob returned to Trinity University to commence teaching in September.  He spends every day in the office and puts a lot of time into his Website helpers for educators and his New Bookmarks --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/bookurl.htm

 

We wish you all a truly merry and warm holiday season as this horrible year of war and scandals gives way to what we pray will be a much better year of prosperity and peace.  God bless each and every one of you!

 

 

 

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Erika and Bob an Erika Jensen
190 Sunset Hill Road, SUGAR HILL, NH 03585

 rjensen@trinity.edu   Home Page http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/