Walt Mintkeski writes:
Dear Friends,
This is the latest that I have written my annual holiday letter due to the fact that my 2 day a week contract job with Energy Trust of Oregon (doing energy efficiency for water and wastewater treatment) has turned into a 5 day per week commitment since mid November when our full time engineer left. I hope that my semi-retirement work schedule will return to normal in mid January when the new replacement engineer arrives.
For me, 2009 has been a busy year of transitions. Since turning 60 in April, I have been more mindful that I am a grandfather and the senior member of the Mintkeski Family. I still enjoy commuting by bicycle, racing my Laser sailboat each week, cross country skiing, and backpacking, but I go a little slower. During the year, I completed the process of settling my father’s estate by setting up the Mintkeski Family Fund through the Oregon Community Foundation. Researching and making grant recommendations for our fund to benefit Oregon’s environment is very satisfying and will keep me busy for years to come. An especially meaningful project to me, which my father’s estate made possible, is a 6 kilowatt awning mounted solar system on the south side of The Nature Conservancy building in Portland. It not only generates electricity but also shades the windows from summer sun to keep the building cooler. For the past two years as a volunteer, I coordinated its design and construction. In a ceremony attended by family and friends on July 3, I dedicated the project in his memory, which allowed me to publicly express my tremendous sense of gratitude for all he has given me and taught me as my father.
Vicki and I enjoyed our first full year of grand-parenting and managed to see Toby about every 6 weeks. Watching him grow during his first 18 months has been a real pleasure, experiencing the process of his development which we have forgotten from raising our own two sons at least 28 years ago. We also enjoyed a 10 day winter sunshine vacation in Loreto, Mexico on the Sea of Cortez and a week-long family vacation in NE Washington on the Methow River, with sons Tyler and Charlie, their spouses Maureen and Rachael, and grandson Toby. In August, I went to the Olympic National Park for a 5 day backpack and then to the Siskiyou Wilderness in northern California for a 5 day trail maintenance trip, while Vicki went to Paris and the Dordogne countryside of France with a group of artists. Note: separation really does make the heart grow fonder. Vicki’s trip has inspired her water color painting and teaching. And she continues to enjoy tending our two chickens in the back yard.
Tyler and Maureen (in Seattle) love raising Toby. Tyler has concentrated his work for Smith and Nephew (providing surgeons with metal implants to fix fractures) in the Seattle area so that he has less travel and more time to help with Toby. Charlie and Rachael are enjoying Missoula, Montana so much that they have decided to look for a house to buy. That will probably mean trading some of their backpacking and skiing weekends for house remodeling, but Charlie has the carpentry skills to do it. Rachael has completed her Montessori teaching certification and is enjoying teaching 3 to 6 year olds in a new Montessori school.
So, that is our news. Vicki and 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
6815 SE 31st Ave
Portland, OR 97202
503-771-0232
mintkeski [at] juno [dot] com