December 2022
Our year was full of ups and downs.
Up and Down – we kicked off the year with winter hikes near our house: those included Fish Creek Cove and Capitol Reef National Park. Unfortunately in early February, Larry fell and seriously injured his shoulder. He spent several months wearing a sling. Short hikes and back country drives in the Spring were a great way to recover and get that shoulder back into shape.
Up, Up and Away – after 40 years of teaching, Annette retired with Emerita status from IUPUI (Indiana University at Indianapolis) at the end of Spring semester. To celebrate, we took a month-long loop trip. After a visit in Hollister, Missouri to spend some time with Annette’s dad and her sister Allison, we traveled to Illinois for a visit with Brooke, Benjamin, Anna and Larry’s siblings, nephew, nieces, and grand niece. Next, we headed down the Natchez Parkway to explore Civil War battlefields and other sites in Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana. We both have ancestors who participated in Civil War actions at Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Corinth, Brices Cross Roads, Tupelo, Raymond, Champion Hill, Vicksburg, Port Gibson, and other locations. Our last stop was Austin, Texas for Alex Rathsack’s high school graduation and Kaylee Rathsack’s eighth grade graduation.
Up – Annette’s sister, Arrion and her family traveled to southern Utah in mid-summer. We enjoyed hikes, Torrey Apple Days activities, games, backroad drives, and our annual tiny raft races on Sulphur Creek.
Up – Late summer, we made a 44-day roadtrip to the Pacific coast. We found that the high temps of summer can be avoided if you stay on the coast. After visiting family in Portland, Oregon, we began our adventure at Fort Stevens State Park and worked our way down the Oregon and California coasts to Bodega Bay before heading homeward across Nevada and back to Utah.
Down and Up – On the way home from a tree identification workshop at Posey Lake Utah, our trailer hit a pothole breaking its axle. So during the Fall, we stayed close to home exploring mountain and valley destinations. We enjoyed back country trips with Larry’s cousin, Chris Reade and his wife Dennisa, who visited from Arkansas. They didn’t see it all, so we look forward to other visits.
Up – after a quiet Thanksgiving at home, we are preparing to spend time with family in Texas and Missouri during the holidays. We’re hoping our trailer will be ready to go for some more adventures in 2023.
Have a beautiful Christmas and a happy New Year,
Annette and Larry
