Below is the full text of Walt’s 2007 holiday letter, as forwarded by Harry Levitt:
Year 2007 brought several happy changes for our family. Younger son Charlie and his partner Rachael (both 26) left December 6, 2006 for a 3 month adventure in New Zealand. We visited them for 2 weeks in February, arriving in Christchurch on Valentine’s Day. After meeting us at the airport and showing use around town, they took us to dinner. Shortly after we sat down, Charlie raised his beer glass and said: We have an announcement. We are engaged! Vicki and I could not have been more delighted, since we have been waiting for this to happen for the last year. What we did not anticipate is how fast they would act on their decision. At the end of March, they returned to Portland, moved to Missoula, Montana, and began planning their wedding for September 15 in Crested Butte, Colorado, near Rachael’s home town of Paonia. The small wedding was held outdoors in a beautiful meadow overlooking the West Elk Mountains. At the conclusion of the ceremony, hail and rain fell for about 3 minutes, after which a magnificent double rainbow appeared. Everyone took photos of the couple centered under the multi colored arches. What a fantastic and auspicious beginning to a life together!
Older son Tyler and wife Maureen (both 29) bought a house in Seattle, WA. Vicki and I helped them move from their nearby condo just before Christmas 2006. Two weeks after Charlie and Rachael’s wedding they announced that they are pregnant! So we will be grandparents in June, and will be making a lot more trips to Seattle.
Vicki continues to paint watercolors, teach a weekly watercolor class, and tend her urban chickens and 15 year old dog. Watch out, pets. You will soon be displaced by a grandchild. Needless to say she is very excited about being a grandmother.
My 97 year old father still lives at Willamette View Health Center where he has 24 hour help. He recovered very quickly from gall bladder removal surgery in May. Although he has slowed down a bit this fall from an infection lingering from his hip replacement surgery in December, 2005, he is still very alert and enjoys watching me race my Laser sailboat and going out to dinner on Sundays.
This year was also busy with travel. In addition to our wonderful two weeks in New Zealand during February, we visited Charlie and Rachael in Missoula during August and then spent a few days touring Glacier Nation Park. After their September 15 wedding, we spent time in the Silverton, Colorado area, hiking and enjoying the beautiful fall colors. The golden aspen leaves will surely appear in Vicki’s future paintings. In early May, I did a week long volunteer service trip on the Escalante River in southern Utah, removing invasive Russian Olive trees. The following week, I joined 6 other Portland friends on a 6 day, 40 mile backpack trip through the Paria Canyon and Buckskin Gulch Wilderness Area on the Utah/Arizona boarder north of the Grand Canyon. What colorful, expansive country! Finally, at the end of May, I chartered a 42 foot sailboat with4 other men from Portland and sailed in the San Juan Islands of Washington and the Gulf Islands of British Columbia for a week.
It has been over three years since I left my full time career as an Environmental Engineer. My focus since then has been volunteer environmental activities: serving on the boards of the local Johnson Creek Watershed Council (JCWC) and the local chapter of the Oregon League of Conservation Voters (OLCV), campaigning for ballot measures and candidates endorsed by OLCV, as well as managing a summer evening sailboat racing program for kids at the Willamette Sailing Club. As I have learned more about the potential consequences of global climate disruption, I have decided to focus my efforts on sustainability, energy conservation, and renewable energy as ways to reduce our collective carbon footprint. Other than participating in energy audits for the local offices of the JCWC and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and maintaining the solar panel system for TNC, I have found very few volunteer opportunities in these areas. Therefore, this fall I decided to look for employment. So far I have had several informational interviews and have established a network of contacts. If you know of opportunities in the Portland area, please let me know.
So, that is our news. I look forward to hearing from you and would love to have you visit us in Portland. Your have my address and phone number below. Keep in touch, and best wishes for the Holidays.
Walt Mintkeski … mintkeski at juno dot com