Walt Mintkeski writes (12/19/08):
Dear Friends,
This certainly has been a year of changes for me personally, our family, and the word. I ended last year looking for employment opportunities to use my engineering skills in areas of sustainability, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. Well, now I have 2 part time jobs!
As of February, I am a Project Engineer for Energy Trust of Oregon, (ETO) which provides cash incentives for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects for customers of investor owned electric and gas utilities in Oregon. I manage the Water and Wastewater Efficiency Program and am having a great time telling my former professional colleagues that if they don’t come see me, I can’t give them money to save energy.
My other job, which actually started in November ’07, is with a small firm you probably do not recognize: Lockheed Martin. This mega corporation is actually a contractor for ETO and manages the Existing Buildings Program to improve heating, air conditioning, and lighting of existing commercial buildings. I help non-profits navigate the ETO process to complete energy efficiency projects. All together, I work less than 16 hours per week, when I want, which allows me to pursue my volunteer and recreational interests. I still serve on the boards of the Johnson Creek Watershed Council (JCWC) and the local chapter of the Oregon League of Conservation Voters (OLCV), campaign for candidates endorsed by OLCV, maintain the solar electric system for Portland’s Nature Conservancy office, and race my Laser sailboat each week.
In terms of travel this year, Vicki and I had two weeks in January on the island of AI, the first with our sons and their wives and Pat & Kathy Norton (Maureen’s parents) the April. April, we enjoyed an exciting and beautiful raft trip down the Owyhee River Canyon in SE Oregon. In July, I went on a 5 day, 50 mile backpack in Montana’s Bob Marshal Wilderness. The main reason for selecting Montana was to visit son Charlie and daughter in law Rachael in Missoula, where he is a finish carpenter and she is becoming a Montessori teacher. In August, I joined them on a 3 day, 25 mile backpack on the Pacific Crest Trail through Oregon’s Three Sisters Wilderness.
The big news is the birth of our grandson, Toby on 6/8/08 to Tyler and Maureen in Seattle. All went well, and Vicki and I met him 9 hours after he was born. While Toby was preparing to enter the world, my 97 year old father was winding down. We put him on Hospice care in April primarily to help regulate his pain medications which were making his normally sharp mind very drowsy. He rallied for his 98th birthday party on 6/29/08 when Toby came down with his parents to meet him, and 12 other friends and relatives took him out to dinner at his favorite Chinese restaurant ( see attached photo).
The most fulfilling part of the day was having 4 generations of Mintkeskis together. Just 12 days later on 7/11/08, he passed away peacefully in his sleep, knowing that life would continue through his great-grandson. On August 10, we had a wonderful celebration of his life at Willamette View, where he lived his entire 8 years while in Portland. We chose that weekend so that Charlie and Rachael, and Tyler, Mo, and Toby could attend, with about 25 other friends, relatives, and his caregivers. We celebrated by enjoying his favorite foods and telling our favorite stories about him. I’m sure he was laughing and smiling with us. I miss his humor, our Sunday dinners at local restaurants, and his watching me from the car while I raced my sailboat on Sunday afternoons.
The other sad day in our house was October 27, when we had to put down our almost 17 year old dog, Kemper. For the first time since our return from our year in Costa Rica in 1992, we do not have her to greet us at the door when we come home.
Vicki and I have experienced great joy as well as sadness together this year as we have transitioned from parents to grandparents. She continues to paint and teach watercolors as our focus shifts form trips to my father’s apartment to visits to Toby in Seattle. Needless to say, we love being grandparents to our now 6 month old, 22 pound boy who smiles and giggles when we play with him.
So, that is our news. Vicki & I look forward to hearing from you and would love to have you visit us in Portland. … Keep in touch, and best wishes for the Holidays.